oachim

driven a new c-class c200 ( production nov 2015 ) and noticed the gliding mode.

according to mb site :

The ECO drive program is designed to achieve the lowest possible fuel consumption. This is ensured through calmer engine response, early gear changes (with 7G-TRONIC PLUS) and modified seat heating, rear window heating and climate control. <b>In combination with hybrid technology, the program supports the so-called "gliding" and "gliding+" modes</b>: if the driver removes his or her foot from the accelerator, the vehicle uses its own kinetic energy and glides along the road in a fuel-saving way.

but my car W205, 250 BT 4 MATIC does not enable this mode under the mentioned conditions.

any explanations why ? is gliding mode an option introduced later in the production cycle ?

thanks,
amo

ManiacGT

Your text mentions hybrid implying its hybrid models. However my c200 petrol does this over 40mph when in eco mode. Most notable on motorways at higher speeds.

oachim

wondering if "hybrid technology" does not refer to Eco mode available in all mbs. i have seen it working on:
- c-class c-200 gasoline
- glc 220 diesel

so it is definitely not a mode available only in real hybrid cars.

regards,
amo

DBOC205

Not available on the W205 diesel variants AFAIK. Not sure why..

StanNH

I have never seen it engage with my C300.

Anapopei

In the plug-inhybrid an electric motor has replaced the conventional torque converter. (Iguess it is the same for the non-plug-in hybrid but don’t know for certain.) I assume that glide mode is a feature of this “electrictorque converter”. In the manual car you can achieve the same glide mode by puttingthe stick in neutral or depressing the clutch.

oachim

wondering if this is something that could be added through sw updates on gear box / engine.

i would appreciate inputs from our forum experts

thanks,
amo

oachim

a video presenting it here

Yeti575

This works in my C180 Petrol, when in agility mode is set to ECO. I have noticed a few obstacles though for it to either engage, or keep active:

• engine must be at full operating temperature
• it will not coast if drive mode is manual (ie through paddle-shifts)
• it will - naturally - not cost up-hill
• it does not like you braking whilst coasting, brake too many times/too hard and it will deactivate coasting - presumably they don't care so much about you adhering to speed-limits but would rather assume the brakes need engine assistance
• it will not coast if very cold outside --> this needs more testing to verify, probably related to battery drain. Had it not engage when -15C but engine fully warm and in full auto

Incidentally, I've had it glide at a fraction above 50KM/H (~30MPH)

LateC300

yea this seems exclusive to non-US vehicles, i have never experienced what i saw in the video

oachim

it seems it is available only on petrol c-class. on diesel cars it is implemented only in conjunction with 9g tronic transmission, meaning it is already available and i can state working on GLC. it can't be enabled on diesel car with 7g tronic transmission.

it would be good if somebody with more knowledge on the topic might confirm or not this information

regards,
amo

gfmohn

Sounds like what truckers call "Georgia overdrive." (To you non-U.S. owners, Georgia refers to a U.S. state) That's costing down a hill in neutral gear. If it's done in a heavy truck, it's insanely dangerous. You are totally out of control.

Luton Driver

Am I missing something here? If a driver takes his/her foot off the accelerator the car ceases to use fuel as the momentum of the engine keeps it working until a stall point is reached when throttle has to be applied again. If the car goes into neutral or what I assume is glide mode the car continues to consume fuel to keep the engine ticking over.

This was how my Ford worked and this information would be displayed on the live time fuel consumption computer as it would always read 99.9mpg when my foot was removed from the accelerator.

Yeti575

That is the gist of it. By putting the car into neutral the car will coast for a longer distance than simply by removing your foot from the accelerator

scottish_c300h

Hi. UK C300h Hybrid here (Non plug in) which uses the same 2.2 diesel engine thats in the C250d.

When I lift my foot from the accelerator (overrun), the engine turns off as in Start/Stop mode and the car freewheels.
It does this at all road speeds.
In Comfort mode (C) the battery regen kicks in to top up the hybrid batteries. 1 segment at low road speeds and usually 2 segments at motorway speeds.
In Eco mode (E) the battery regen does not kick in and the car can actually coast for quite some distance without losing too much speed especially on a long straight and level section of motorway.
In Sport and Sport+ the engine does not switch off on overrun.

I've not heard this function called Gliding Mode, but it sounds about the same.

ManiacGT

One interesting thing I've discovered is that if my car is in glide mode it uses the cameras in the windscreen to look ahead and if you're approaching the car in front too quickly it puts the car back into drive to help deceleration. Nifty that.

Anapopei

I am thinkingthat we have three different “modes”.

Conventional coasting: The engine and gearbox is connected, rpm correlate to the car’s speed. Engine brakes but the car consumes virtually no fuel because the injection system shuts down the fuel supply since the wheels are now driving the engine.

Coasting: The engine rpm drops to idle. The means that the engine and the gearbox is not connected. No engine brake but the engine consume some fuel to idle. Still advantageous to conventional coasting.

Glide mode: Hybrids only. Engine turned off and disconnected from the gearbox. No engine brake (unless regenerative braking). No fuel consumption.

Yeti575

I'd prefer for it let me as the driver decide when to stop gliding (foot back on accelerator or similar)